Two is better than One
by kristanella17
Summary: Draco befriends a Hufflepuff in the most unusual circumstance. (Warning: Combines bits and pieces of different books and movies together) DracoXOC
1. Chapter 1

"It's no use, Phillips. We're stuck in here until morning," Draco sighed as he angrily gave the door one last punch. Neither one of them had their wands since they had been confiscated by Headmistress Umbridge for inspections.

"We can't just give up. We'll be in so much trouble," Sapphire said defeatedly as she placed her back against the wall next to the door and slid down to the floor.

Draco rolled his eyes as he made his way to sit against the wall across from Sapphire, "We'll get a detention or two. So what?" he said like it was no big deal.

Immediately, Sapphire glared at him, "Maybe you haven't had detention with Umbridge, but I have," she said bitterly as she pulled her sleeve up to reveal a fresh looking scar across her forearm. Draco's eyes focused on her arm as he scooted a bit closer to get a better look.

"What is that?" he asked, the tone of his voice growing softer. Sapphire looked down at her arm before looking back up at Draco, "This is what happens when you have detention with Umbridge. You use an enchanted quill that carves whatever you write with it into your skin," she explained.

Draco quickly looked back up at Sapphire, "She did that to you?" he whispered, concern filled his voice. "Yes," she replied just as quietly, "and she'll do it again, and to you too if we don't find a way out of here."

Draco closed his eyes in thought before opening them again to find Sapphire staring at him. "I'm sorry, Phillips, but I just don't see us getting out of here until morning," he confessed. Sapphire slowly nodded in acceptance as she laid her head back against the wall and closed her eyes, taking in a deep breath. This time it was Draco who stared at her. He watched her intently as he noticed a single tear escape and fall onto her cheek.

"Sapphire," Draco whispered, but she refused to look at him. Slowly, Draco scooted over to sit next to her. "It won't be bad, ok?" he whispered as his shoulder touched hers, "We'll just tell her the truth. We were here looking for a potion Snape requested and the door shut," he explained, hoping to comfort her in some sort of way.

Sapphire wiped the tear off her face as she opened her eyes to look at him, "Yeah, and do you think she'll believe that?" she asked, her voice cracking with emotion before giving a bitter laugh. "She'll accuse us of being in here fooling around or something," Draco's face flushed slightly as Sapphire spoke, "and she'll cruelly punish us for something we didn't do," she finished as she broke out into a sob.

Hearing Sapphire's cry instantly caused Draco to feel a rush of anger, " _I dare her_ to try and punish us like that," Draco said with a sneer, "She wouldn't dare touch us or else I'll tell my father," he finished confidently. Sapphire looked up at him and gave him a tiny head shake, "She won't care. Draco, I've seen her _slap_ a student. She _physically hit_ a student! You think she's afraid of your father?" she gave another bitter laugh before pulling her knees to her chest to rest her forehead against them.

Draco couldn't believe what he was hearing. Their interim Headmistress physically hit and punished students. For some unknown reason, though, he couldn't bear to watch the girl next to him cry any longer. Hesitantly, he lifted his arm and placed it around Sapphire's shoulders. Without thinking, Sapphire immediately leaned into his embrace, welcoming any form of comfort, and taking Draco by complete surprise. He tensed awkwardly for a moment before letting his body relax and welcoming the warmth of Sapphire's body heat.

The two sat in silence for a few moments before Draco spoke, "Well, there's no use sitting around here moping until we're found in the morning," he said causing Sapphire to pull out of his embrace and lean back against the wall once again. "What are you talking about?" she asked suspiciously causing Draco to let out a small laugh. "After having years of classes together, I don't really know anything about you. We have all night so why don't we get to know one another?" he offered kindly.

Sapphire's eyebrows narrowed in confusion. "You..want to get to know me?" she asked in disbelief. Draco smirked, "Yeah, just don't tell anyone, Phillips," he joked causing Sapphire to laugh softly. "I'd like to get to know you too, Draco," she whispered sincerely with a kind smile.

* * *

The two discussed basic interests at first as they slowly began to open up to one another. "Your favorite Quidditch team is Bulgaria?" Draco asked in disgust causing Sapphire to smile. "Victor Krum makes it very easy to like the Bulgarians," she confessed with a small giggle causing Draco to roll his eyes.

"Krum is a dirty cheat," he replied with a sneer. Sapphire raised her eyebrows, "Well, Malfoy, I've seen you play pretty dirty on the Quidditch field before," she said with a smirk of her own. The corner of Draco's lips turned up slightly, "There's a difference in _playing dirty_ and cheating, Phillips," he explained as he slowly inched closer to her.

"Whatever helps you sleep at night," she teased as she gave his shoulder a gentle nudge with hers. "Your turn," Sapphire said, waiting on Draco to confess something to her. He thought in silence for a few seconds, "I don't like the color green," he admitted causing Sapphire to break out into a fit of laughter.

"What?" he asked with a slight grin. Sapphire continued to laugh, "The King of Slytherin doesn't like the color green? That's blasphemy!" she exclaimed as her laughter slowly died down. "What, you're telling me you _like_ _yellow_ enough to be surrounded by it all the time?" he asked, referring to Sapphire's Hufflepuff color.

She smiled, "It's not my favorite color, but I don't mind it too much. It reminds me of a beautiful sunflower," she admitted. "So you like sunflowers?" Draco asked curiously. Sapphire nodded, "Of course. Roses, daisies, lilies, they're all overrated. The beauty of sunflowers is simple, and severely underappreciated, kind of like my house," she explained before catching herself, "but anyway, your turn again..."


	2. Chapter 2

The two talked all night until eventually someone opened the closet door. Professor Snape stood in the doorway as he looked down at the two students sitting next to each other. Sapphire had tiredly slid down to where her head was resting against the end of Draco's shoulder, and he had his head propped back against the wall.

The two immediately pulled away from each other once the door opened. "What the devil is going on here?" Snape asked dangerously low. Sapphire and Draco both quickly stood up.

Before Sapphire could speak, Draco began, "When you sent us in here yesterday, Professor, the door shut behind us and locked. We weren't able to get out because Headmistress Umbridge took our wands for inspection," he explained calmly.

Professor Snape stared at the two in silence for a few moments before speaking once more, "Very well. Perhaps next time you two are assigned a simple task you'll be _competent_ enough to prop the door open correctly," he said condescendingly, glaring down at the two student. "Now get out of my sight," Snape dismissed as he moved out of the way allowing Draco and Sapphire to leave without punishment.

"I can't believe he let us go!" Sapphire exclaimed excitedly as her and Draco quickly made their way out of the Professor's classroom only to run directly into Umbridge's path. She gave them a tight grin, "And just where are you two heading so early this morning?" she asked suspiciously.

Draco watched as Sapphire slowly cowered away from her in fear out of the corner of his eye, so he decided to speak up. "We were heading down to breakfast early, Headmistress," he explained politely, hoping Umbridge wouldn't see through his lie. She stared at them intently before replying, "Mr. Malfoy, I expected you to keep better company," Umbridge said snootily before turning up her nose and continuing on her way.

Sapphire let out a breath of relief before they heard Umbridge's voice once more, "Remember to stay out of trouble, Ms. Phillips," she called threateningly before disappearing around the corner. Draco turned to see Sapphire's face ghostly white as she faced him. "I'm...I'm gonna go," she stuttered out before turning and quickly heading back to her common room.

* * *

Later that day, Sapphire approached Draco out on the courtyard despite the fact he was surrounded by his fellow Slytherin. "Draco," she called out to him. He looked up with a sneer across his face, "What, _Hufflepuff_?" he asked rudely.

Sapphire was a bit taken back, "I just wanted to thank you for earlier," she said, trying not to let his attitude bother her. "I didn't do anything for you," he said causing his group of friends to snicker. His words immediately caused Sapphire to glare at him as she realized what was going on. "Whatever," she mumbled as she stormed away.

Sapphire didn't get too far into the castle when she heard a voice calling after her. She turned to see Draco approaching her. "What do you want, Malfoy?" she asked in disgust.

"I just wanted to explain what happened back there," he said, his whole demeanor changing from only a few moments ago. Sapphire scoffed, "Oh, I know exactly what went on back there," she said as her eyes narrowed in anger.

Draco sighed, "I have a reputation to uphold, Phillips," he said with a hint of annoyance in his voice. A bitter laugh escaped Sapphire's lips, "Yeah, the reputation of being a jerk," she said before turning to walk away once more.

"Hey!" Draco called out in defense as he chased after her. "It's not like you come from the most respectable house, Sapphire," he challenged as he stopped in front of her.

Sapphire glared up at him, "If you don't think loyalty and kindness are respectable traits then that shows exactly what kind of person you are, Draco Malfoy," she began, "I thought after last night maybe we could be friends, but I was wrong. I don't want to be friends with a _coward_ like you. And yes, I might be afraid of a teacher who _tortured me_ , but at least I'm not afraid what people think about me and my choice of friends. Now get out of my way," she finished in a threateningly low manner before storming past Draco, being sure to give his shoulder an angry nudge with hers in the process.


	3. Chapter 3

"There you are!" Sapphire heard someone call from behind her. She turned around to find her friend Harlow Harris approaching her. Harlow and Sapphire had become friends their very first day at Hogwarts aboard the train, and they were heartbroken when they weren't sorted into the same house.

"Hey," Sapphire greeted with a weak smile as Harlow took a seat across from her at one of the tables in the library. "What's up? I've been looking for you all day," Harlow asked as she opened up her potions book.

Sapphire shrugged, "Just been a rough day," she replied simply, not really wanting to discuss everything that had happened within the last 24 hours. "What's that? Potions?" Sapphire asked referring to Harlow's book, secretly wanting to change the subject.

"Yeah," Harlow sighed, "Snape has been down my throat lately. Says I'm slacking in his class," she said with an eye roll.

"What? You're like his favorite student. 'Ms. Harris, you arrived on time today. 10 points to Slytherin,'" Sapphire mimicked Snape as best she could causing Harlow to burst out into a fit of laughter.

"Ok, ok. He does seem to be a little more... _patient_ with me, but that's all," Harlow agreed with a head nod.

The two girls settled down and began their studies together. After a few minutes, Harlow broke the silence, "So you're really not going to tell me what happened with you and Malfoy earlier?" she asked bluntly causing Sapphire's face to turn red.

"How do you know about that?" Sapphire asked, looking up from her book. Harlow rolled her eyes, "Please," she smirked, "I saw you two arguing in the hallway," she admitted. "I couldn't really tell what you two were saying, but I see it got pretty heated."

Sapphire sighed, "It's nothing really. We talked for a few hours, I made the mistake of assuming he and I could be friends, but I was wrong," she admitted before looking back down at her book.

"A few hours? You and Draco Malfoy talked for _a few hours?_ " Harlow asked in disbelief. Sapphire shrugged again, "I just don't want to think about it anymore," she whispered, trying not to let herself be upset about the situation anymore. Harlow nodded in understanding as the girls returned back to their studies.

* * *

That weekend it was time for the Quidditch game of Hufflepuff against Slytherin. The captain, Cedric Diggory, asked Sapphire to fill in for one of their Chasers who was out sick. She wasn't officially on the team, but she enjoyed the sport and practiced with them whenever she was invited.

Sapphire ate with the Hufflepuff team that morning, already dressed in her borrowed Quidditch uniform. She was joking with the rest of the team as she watched the Slytherin team enter the Great Hall. A few Slytherin players gave the Hufflepuff team a dirty look as they walked past them to their own table. Sapphire looked up to find Draco staring at her with confusion written across his face before she quickly looked back to her friends.

As the Hufflepuff team finished up breakfast and began to head down to the field, Sapphire felt someone grab the sleeve of her robe. She quickly turned around to find herself looking up at Draco Malfoy.

"What do you want?" Sapphire sighed out in annoyance as she looked over her shoulder to watch her team continuing on their way, leaving her and Draco alone without even noticing.

"What are you doing on the Quidditch team?" he demanded, standing only a few inches from her. Sapphire examined his face as he stared down into her eyes.

"Rogers is sick so I'm filling in," Sapphire explained as she looked up at him, refusing to show any sign of intimidation.

"You're a Chaser?" Draco asked in disbelief, raising his voice slightly. Sapphire rolled her eyes, "What does it matter to you, Malfoy? Last time I checked, we weren't friends," she noted bitterly as she crossed her arms.

Draco's face softened slightly as he remained silent for a moment as he stared down at her. "Watch out for Bole. He likes to aim for female players. Thinks they're easy targets," Draco warned with a quiet whisper.

"Why are you telling me this?" Sapphire asked, she too softening her demeanor.

Draco paused for a moment once again before answering, "Just be careful, Phillips," he said shortly before turning and heading back to his team.


	4. Chapter 4

The game was neck and neck between Hufflepuff and Slytherin, and there looked to be no end in sight since the snitch hadn't been spotted by either Seeker yet. Sapphire held her own considering she had only played with her team a few times at practice every so often. She had also taken Draco's advice and tried to steer clear of Bole's bludgers that flew in her direction quite frequently.

Things were going well for the Hufflepuff team until a group of Slytherin created a formation to block the Hufflepuff beaters. Sapphire, who currently had the quaffle passed it to one of the other Chasers.

Meanwhile, the snitch was spotted by both Draco and Cedric as they raced to catch the flying golden object. The struggle between the two Seekers continued as the three Hufflepuff Chasers formed a V formation so they could attack the goal together, but while Hufflepuff Beaters were blocked, Bole and Derrick from Slytherin took their opportunity to attack.

Each Slytherin Beater hit a bludger towards the Hufflepuff Chasers. One missed completely, but the other hit Sapphire dead on. The crowd gasped loudly as they watched the bludger plow directly into Sapphire's ribs, knocking her off her broom in the process.

The arena went almost silent as they watched Sapphire helplessly fall towards the ground.

Hearing the gasp then silence of the crowd, Draco looked over his shoulder just in time to watch Sapphire fall off her broom. Cedric caught the snitch, ending the game, while Draco had been distracted.

Quickly, Draco changed course and flew as fast as he could to try to prevent Sapphire from hitting the ground. He was only a few feet away as he watched Sapphire land directly on her back causing him to halt mid-air.

He looked down at her unconscious body before slowly landing on the ground next to her. As he moved to kneel by her side, she was quickly surrounded by her teammates, pushing Draco out of the way in the process.

"Move, Malfoy!" Cedric ordered as he shoved Draco out of the way and forced himself next to Sapphire's side, leaving Draco standing awkwardly for a brief moment before he mounted his broom and flew back to his team.

It only took a few moments before Sapphire was moved to the hospital wing.

* * *

Sapphire awoke to an empty hospital wing as she tried to sit up in bed. She groaned out in pain causing Madam Pomfrey to come rushing into the room. "No, no, dear. You mustn't move. You have quite a few broken bones that are trying to heal."

"What happened?" Sapphire groaned out as she laid back, trying to find some sort of comfort. "It seems you took a bludger to the ribs then fell off your broom, dear. Landed straight on your back, you poor thing," Madam Pomfrey explained before handing Sapphire something to drink.

The drink tasted spoiled causing her to nearly gag. "Oh, I know it's not pleasant, but it helps the pain," Madam Pomfrey encouraged before Sapphire set the glass on the bedside table.

It was then Sapphire noticed a bouquet of sunflowers in a vase on her table. A smile quickly appeared across her face, "What's this?" she asked, trying to get a better look at the flowers. The nurse gave her a smile, "I'm not sure. It arrived earlier for you but no card attached," she explained, "Now lay back and try to get some rest."

As Madam Pomfrey left, Sapphire continued to smile as she stared at her flowers. She closed her eyes for a slight moment only to open them finding that a card had appeared on the vase.

Sapphire groaned in pain as she reached for the card. Her heart skipped a beat as she read the short message. " _Friends?_ " was all it said. She mindlessly ran her finger across the letters and around the edges of the card before laying back in bed with a tiny smile across her face, knowing exactly who had sent the flowers.


	5. Chapter 5

The next day, Sapphire awoke all alone once again. Being in the hospital wing sure was boring. Luckily, Madam Pomfrey brought her a few books to read while she laid about.

A few hours into the day, Sapphire watched as one visitor entered the room. She looked up, and she couldn't help but feel a slight hint of disappointment as she realized the visitor wasn't who she was hoping for.

"Hey Sapphire," Cedric called with a soft smile on his face. "Cedric," Sapphire greeted with a small smile in return. "How are you feeling? You took a pretty rough hit," he noted as he made his way over to her bedside.

Sapphire sighed, "I feel pretty terrible," she admitted with a small laugh. Cedric smiled down at her as he sat on the edge of her bed. "Well, we won," he said, trying to make her feel better.

"Yeah," Sapphire said, this time with forced happiness, "that's what I heard," she told him. "Believe it or not, it's partly due to you. I think your hit distracted Malfoy long enough for me to catch the snitch," Cedric informed her.

"What?" Sapphire asked, not remembering anything after her injury. "Yeah. When you were hit by that bludger it caught Malfoy's attention. It was weird. He even flew after you for some reason. What's up with that?" he joked making Sapphire feel slightly uncomfortable.

She shook her head slightly, "I...I don't know," she confessed as Cedric turned his attention to her flowers. "These are nice," he commented, "from a secret admirer?" he teased, knocking Sapphire back into reality.

She gave a bashful laugh. "No, no. Just from a friend," she smiled. "That's good. I'd hate to have to threaten some poor little boy," Cedric teased as he stood up.

Sapphire blushed at his comment. Ever since her first year at Hogwarts, Cedric had always been like the big brother she never had, and Sapphire had always been grateful to have him in her life.

"Alright, well I got to get going. The team sends their best wishes, and when you get back we'll have a proper celebration," Cedric said before leaning down and giving her a small kiss on her hairline.

"See you later," Sapphire called before lying back down and trying to force herself to go back to sleep.

* * *

Sapphire was released from the hospital wing early in the morning three days after she had been admitted. She quickly made her way down to the Great Hall, hoping to beat everyone to breakfast.

To her surprise, a handful of students were there already, one being Draco Malfoy. Sapphire tried to avoid eye contact with him as she made her way to the Hufflepuff table.

It was only a few minutes into breakfast when Sapphire felt a presence next to her. She looked up to find that Draco had sat down next to her. "People can see," she said in a sing song voice before looking back down at her plate.

"I'm aware," he replied simply, staring at her as she avoided his gaze. "How are you feeling?" he asked. Sapphire could tell he was uncomfortable sitting at her table, but she was proud of his efforts.

She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, "I'm fine, thank you," she said politely. The two sat there in silence for a few awkward seconds before Sapphire couldn't take it any longer. "What are you doing here, Draco?" she asked with a gentleness to her voice as she turned to face him.

"I just...did you get the flowers?" he countered, dodging Sapphire's question. A small smile washed across Sapphire's face, "I did. They were beautiful. Thank you," she nodded, "but you still haven't answered my question." She could tell Draco was growing more uncomfortable each second.

"I just want to apologize," he forced out like it physically pained him. Sapphire smirked at his confession, " _You_ want to _apologize_?" she asked as her smirk grew into a surprised smile.

Draco sighed, "Yes, Phillips. I want to apologize for the way I acted the other day. I'm aware I made a mistake and I'd like to fix it," he admitted, his words flowing more freely now.

Sapphire's smile fell slightly as she turned her body to face him, "I don't know, Draco," she said softly, "the other night when we were talking, it felt so easy. I enjoyed it, and I thought you did too," she admitted only to have Draco interrupt her.

"I did enjoy it," he said hurriedly, "and that's why I'm here apologizing. I know I embarrassed you-" Draco began, but this time Sapphire was the one to cut him off.

"It's not that you embarrassed me, Draco. It's the fact I felt betrayed, and then for you to insult my house, like yours is so superior to mine," she began to grow slightly angry as the memories began to come back to her.

"Sapphire, _I lost a Quidditch game because of you,_ " Draco said as he too began to grow heated. Sapphire was a bit taken back by his confession, "What?"

"I was so _damn_ worried about you the whole game that I couldn't focus. You're not a regular on the team, but you decide for your first _real game to be against Slytherin_? Are you crazy? Then when I heard the silence of the crowd, I knew it had been you who was hurt. I tried to stop you from hitting the ground, but I just didn't make it in time," Draco explained as his words grew softer.

He looked down at the table, almost as if he was embarrassed by his confession. Sapphire watched his every move, "Why?" she asked softly.

He shrugged, "I know what it's like to hit the ground after taking a hit like that. I didn't want you to experience it," he admitted causing a heartfelt smile to wash across her face. "No," Sapphire whispered as she inched closer to him on the bench, "Why are you doing all this?"

Draco sighed before looking up at her, "I've never talked with someone the way we did the other night, and honestly I can't stop thinking about it." He spoke so softly Sapphire's ears had to strain just to hear him.

She gave him a sad smile, "I know," she said in agreement, "but how do I know you won't do the same thing to me again?" she questioned, not bothering to hide her fear of rejection.

"Look at me, Phillips," he started as he lifted a hand and looked around the room, "I am _willingly_ sitting at the Hufflepuff table," he teased with a small smirk causing Sapphire to let out a small laugh.

"Ok, ok," she agreed, still wearing her grin. She took notice as Draco, this time, inched closer to her causing her to blush slightly.

"You know, this year we're allowed to go to Hogsmeade for Halloween," Draco began hesitantly, "I'd like to take you," he informed her instead of asking.

Sapphire's smile grew as she gave a small head nod, "I'd like that too, Draco," she said softly. To her surprise, Draco gave her a genuine smile in return.

By now it was almost time for classes to begin. "I guess I should start heading to class," Sapphire said with a hint of disappointment in her voice.

Slowly she stood, letting out a groan of pain as she held on to the table for support. Draco glared up at her before standing as well, "You said you were fine," he scolded.

Sapphire let out a short, embarrassed laugh, "I am fine; just sore that's all," she said before she she slowly stepped over the bench from the table.

Draco followed suit, "Come on, Phillips," he said as he offered his arm to her. "What?" she asked as she stared at him in confusion.

"You can barely stand up from the table. Do you honestly think you can make it up the staircase?" he asked, obviously trying his best to hide the condescending tone of the question.

Sapphire rolled her eyes but gave him a small grin in return before taking his elbow, "You may be right," she admitted quietly as the two walked out of the Great Hall together.


End file.
